The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1887-12-29
SUNDAY MEDITATION.

Practical Duties T2ught Or study OF the inter- |
national Sunday school Lesson Appointed for |
Jan. 8, 1883. st. Matt, IA 1921.
Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
indicated above.l
SUBJECT: THE ACCOUNT OF CHRIST FEEDING
FIVE THOUSAND MEN, BESIDES WOMEN
AND CHILDREN.
We now study the 10Th miracle of our So
vior's performance. One should read also st.
Mark, 6: 35-44; st. Luke, 9:12-17; st. John,
6:5-14. The notes below presume each one
has read with care these other several accounts.
We may put the lesson in the form of sup
per given to certain guests. Let Us so consider
/. Place.
This was little south of Bethsaida in Perea.
It was desert, ". 49, meaning in the New
Testament sense an uninhabited, uncultivated
locality. st. John (6: 10) declares there was
much grass there.
2. Time
The feast was given on Thursday, March 25,
a. ID. 26 in the 32d year of Christ's life and
the second Of his ministry, 1859 years ago, in
the evening. (St. Matt, 14;15.)
g. Host
The giver of the entertainment was Christ
In st. Johns account (V. IA he is styled the
Prophet The accounts of SITS. Matt. and Luke
do not mention any title for the Host using
only pronouns. SITS. Matt. and John call him
Jesus. No other titles than Jesus and Prophet
occur in all the four accounts. AS to Prophet
see Deu., rs; st. John, 9: IT. On the bear
ing of the miracle as to Christ's deity, see St
John, $50.
A. Guests
The persons were 5000 men and a goodly
number of women and children. They were
attracted by Christ's manner and teachings.
They fingered, disinclined to lose word. We
may safely estimate company of 5000 guests.
1t is clear they were hungry.
5. The Market
The only place from which provisions could
be purchased was basket on the arm of
young huekster or q bakers servant. Know
ing crowd was out in the desert, the boy went
forth, following out bright business idea. OF
course the FIVE loaves and two fishes were
wholly inadequate for the demand. For the
rest, the market was Gods creative resources.
6. The Bill Of Faro.
Fortunately, we have copy of the melts.
There were not many courses They had bread
and fishes. The word Victuals in verse IA is
general word for all kinds of eatables, exclusive,
however, of liquids. The word comes from the
Latin victus, and that from the verb rho,
live. Victuals are the provisions ON which we
live The bread was Of barley thin, broad,
brittle, shaped like plate. Hence it was
broken, not cut. There were five such loaves.
Then there were two fishes. The Sea of Galilee
abounded in fishes, and much of the food Of
the people thereabout was of this kind The
Greek word used in st. Johns account vs.. 8
IL for fishes shows the fishes were cooked. in
fact the boy had brought the bread and fishes
out on purpose to serve for q lunch Nothing
is said of drink. The multitude probably par
took of water. The food provided by miracle
was bread already baked and fishes cooked.
z. The Table.
The FIVE loaves and two fishes were taken by
the Savior from the Apostles, who had secured
| them, probably by purchase, from the lad. Pos
| sibly there was no need of a table. If there
were occasion to spread out the food, it
would have been laid upon the grass, with posi-
| bly, an intervening cloth of some sort at hand.
| As the food was passed out it was taken into
! the hands of each. 1t could have been eaten
directly from the hands or deposited into each
| ones lap until eaten.
8. Seats.
The company all sat down upon the grass.
lst Matt, Ia: 10; ST. John, 6:10)
8. Walters.
| The walters were the IL Apostles.
10. The Method Of Seating.
The account states the multitude sat down by
companies (St. Mark 6: 39.) The next verse
to that which says they sat by companies de-
/ clares, "They sat down by ranks, by hundreds
and ffties" Why? For the same reason that
| in church and Sunday -school we have pews or
seats-for convenience. They could be served
to greater advantage if arranged orderly. No
one could have more than his portion. The
number could thus be known. The timid
would have as good chance as the forward.
How could the multitude be best arranged so
as to be served to greater advantage by ~ wait
ers? St. Luke g.: Ia states they sat by ifties.
st. Mark (6: 40} says they sat by hundreds.
| We must provide for 5000 men and, say, ], 900
| women and children-6,000.
Suppose the 5000 to be 100 abreast and so
| deep 1t Is said the 5000 were arranged by
| fifties and hundreds. But we can in our plan
| add the 1 900 women and children. Thus there
| will be 5000 men arranged by ffties and hun
dreds, or 5000 men, women and children, ar
ranged by one hundred and twenty facing and
| so deep: